If you are familiar with Japanese animation, you know you're in for a treat here.
If not, you are about to be introduced in a great way to a stunning art form.
The Ani-Mayhem card game was created and produced with love for Anime (so-called in Japan and by its fans), and we've made the things that drew us to Anime part of Ani-Mayhem.
Manic hunts through scrambled worlds will give you a taste of Anime's magic and incredible variety.
Combine wildly disparate elements from different Anime series or explore their unique worlds individually.
Each new game will plunge you into unique and unexpected depths of an Aniverse of your own creation.
There are 6 kinds of cards: Combat, Characters, Items, Power, Disaster, and Location.
There is no limit to the size of your deck, with the exception that no more than 1 of any Character card and 3 of any other card may be used per deck.
If there is any conflict between what is written on a card and what is printed in these rules, the card wins. The only exception is the rule about Disasters taking Items off the board.
Shuffle your Combat cards.
Set them face down in a pile.
Choose up to 6 Characters.
Any other Characters you want, you must include in your Draw pile.
Shuffle your Power cards to start your Draw pile.
Use as many as you want.
Draw 7 Power cards now to start your hand.
Choose 7 Items. Set them face down in a row in front of you.
Now for the fun part.
Disasters
You must have as many Disasters as the total number of the rest of the cards in your Draw pile. 1/3 of your Disasters must be Major Disasters (signified by a D!). Shuffle and deal 2 Disasters face down over each item. Shuffle your remaining Disasters into your Draw pile.
Ani-Mayhem is the first collectible card game designed for solitaire play, since your real enemy is the Disasters. The basic object of the game, as in any scavenger hunt, is to collect a majority of Items (i.e. 4 out of 7) before the Disasters destroy them…or you.
Lay 1 Location face up over each Item/Disaster pile. Remember, you'll need Characters with specific skills to Scavenge each Location.
You can play with any number of Locations but we've found 7 per player works best. We suggest using only 5 each for a game with more than 4 players to speed action.
So a solo game of Ani-Mayhem looks like:
Of course, Ani-Mayhem works with as many players as you can find. A multi-player game pits you against the Disasters and other players. Be careful, though. It is entirely possible for the Disasters to defeat all of you. If the Disasters take more than half the Items off the Field, no one wins. So a key element of your strategy will be determining when to cooperate with your opponents, and when to clean their ears for them with a laser pistol.
To add players simply daisy-chain the solo set-up.
So, a 2-player game would look like this:
4-player:
and so on.
The straight line layout in only the simplest of many possible. Suggested variations are in the "Optional Rules" section of this book. Experienced gamers may want to try these now.
Each turn is divided into the following phases:
Each turn you may play 1 Enhancement, 1 Equipment, 1 Global and any Characters in your hand. You may only have 6 of your Characters in play at any one time. Globals are played outside the Field and affect all your Characters. To play an Enhancement or Equipment, you must move the Character off the Field from one of your Locations first (see Movement). Some Equipment cards will allow you to equip at any Location.
In Parlay, players may negotiate alliances against Disasters, agree upon non-conflicting Movement, etc.
A Character may also call Parlay with any other Character able to move in 1 turn to the Location it is on. If the target accepts, each Character makes a demand to which the other must agree. If the target refuses, the parlayer can wage a
In Parlay, Charm -- be it sex appeal, charisma or just pure cuteness -- rules, and seemingly weak Characters can be deadly.
If the Charm (including Power & Item cards) of the Attacker is higher than that of the majority of Characters in the target's party (Charm's compared individually), the target must obey.
If Combat is ordered, charmed Characters will fight until they take damage equal to twice the difference between their own Charm and that of their Charmer.
The outcome of all Parlays is private until all are finished, at which point everyone declares their Movement.
Move Characters individually or in parties (up to 4), any direction along the Field. Parties are limited to the Movement of their slowest Character. And if you didn't look at the sample layouts:
Solo Game: bring Characters into play anywhere on the Field.
2-Players: bring Characters into play on either side of your opponent's Field.
3 or more Players: bring Characters into play on any opponent's Location which touches one of your own.
Though it is not necessary, you may find as modifications are attached to your Characters, it is easier to use tokens. Each player should use a different color or type of token(hey man, you take the paper clip; I want the "Jolt" cap) & a different token for each Character or party. Move tokens from Location to Location instead of cards.
We have included in each base game a 'chit' card with images of all Characters in the 1st set printed in a grid pattern. Handy for use as tokens. How's that for kind?
You may only leave the Field from one of your own Locations. Leaving the Field costs one Movement. You can spend one Movement to re-enter the Field but only at the same Location from which you left.
Characters and Locations have Skills listed in text boxes below their pictures. A Character or party of Characters (up to 4) possessing the skills listed on a Location, may Scavenge it. Players should take turns Scavenging.
To begin, turn over the top Disaster cards-beneath the Location.
Deal with it.
If your Characters get past it, you may continue Scavenging even if your remaining Character(s) don't posses the skills necessary to attempt the Location. You may also stop the attempt, but you will need all necessary skills to resume Scavenging the Location, even if you remain there.
Some Disasters are non-combative. Others are very combative indeed, which thus requires…
Attack & Defense are simultaneous for combatants, Character-Disaster or Character-Character.
Disasters automatically strike Characters with Items first. If no or multiple Characters have Item(s), Disasters attack the weakest Character (lowest Defense, then lowest Attack to determine). Otherwise, selection in random (use a die, flip a coin, rock/paper/scissors - whatever works for you).
In Character-Character Combat, each Player picks 1 Combat card, and plays in on 1 of their Characters. Victorious Characters can retrieve and use defeated Characters' Items & Equipment. They must do so, however, before leaving the Location, or the cards fall under the Location and must subsequently be "Scavenged".
Attacker's total Damage minus Defender's total Defense [Totals include all bonuses] = Damage to Defender's Health for the Attack.
Health starts each Combat equal to basic Defense (no bonuses). Damage to Health accumulates throughout Combat. If a Disaster takes cumulative damage equal to its Health, it is defeated and discarded. If a Character takes cumulative damage equal to Health, it is Bonked. If a Character takes cumulative damage equal to Health x 2, it is Killed.
At the end of Combat all Health is restored to full for any Disasters and/or Characters left in play.
In Character-Disaster Combat, pick 1 Combat card for any 1 Character and another of your own Combats for the Disaster. Defeated Disasters automatically drop Items they are carrying under the Location. The Items must subsequently be "Scavenged". Victorious Disasters take all Item(s) from defeated opponents, but drop Equipment under the Location.
Some Disasters have Charm. Any Characters whose Charm is less than the Disaster's cannot Attack it or Defend for 1 round. If the Disaster's charm is higher than that of all Characters in a party, none of the Characters will be able to Attack it, until the Disaster does damage equal to the difference between its Charm and that of the party's most Charming Character.
Up to 3 Characters can Attack a Minor Disaster.
Up to 4 Characters can Attack a Major Disaster or other Character(s). Characters must defend against Attacks individually (no combining Defense scores). Combat continues until either the Disaster is defeated, all Characters are Bonked or Killed or the Characters run away.
If Characters run away, their opponent gets a final, unanswered attack (after all, they are turning tail). Running Characters must leave a Location their next turn and can not perform any action (other than Reload and hope to avoid another Disaster). Of course, their opponent can move that next turn too.
Some will chase you.
Disasters don't run.
Players should keep used Combat cards separate from their Discard pile. When all Combat cards have been used, reshuffle them and start again.
A "Bonked" Character has taken enough damage to be removed from Combat, but not enough to be killed. When A Character takes all its Health in damage in one Combat, it is removed from play for 1 turn. In the Reload phase of your next turn, you may replace the Character in your hand as if you had drawn it from your Draw pile.
A "Killed" Character must be discarded. Some cards will allow you to remove cards from your discard pile. In Anime you know, "Killed", doesn't necessarily mean dead.
Players take turns drawing cards from their Draw pile, each drawing 1 new card per turn until all players have 7 again.
If any player draws a Disaster, Reloading stops immediately and players proceed to the Maintenance phase.
Disasters already on the Field move the number of Locations equal to their Movement.
Disasters always move clockwise. Drawn Disasters enter at the far left of your Field. Disasters without Movement affect the closest group of Characters (again, based on a clockwise Movement).
Minor Disasters with Movement scores move their number of cards equal to their Movement each turn until they complete 1 circuit of the Field and they are discarded.
Major Disasters with Movement continue circling the Field, picking up 1 Item at every Location they land on until defeated.
Minor Combat Disasters (Disasters with Attack & Defense), pick up the first Item they encounter and attempt to leave the board with it. Once the Disaster completes its present circuit of the Field. The Item is lost and cannot be retrieved by any card or action. There are no exceptions to this rule, no matter what is stated on any card.
Any Disaster with the text box "moves once". will move to a Location and sit there, until the players can get rid of it.
If a moving Combat Disaster encounters Characters with Item(s), it will attack immediately. If the Characters have no Items, they may engage in Combat or let the Disaster pass. If the Disaster passes, it keeps any Items it has. Characters cannot avoid Non-Combat Disasters such as "Forceful Impact".
Disasters are not affected by Planetary or Dimensional symbols. They just plough right through those Locations. If Combat is required, so be it.
Start again. and whatever life brings you, try not to step in it.
There are 6 kinds of cards: Locations, Characters, Items, Power, Disasters and Combat.
have a green face and green highlighting in the back.
If a Location lists a Defense, you can Scavenge it without the necessary skills by Attacking it. Combat is the same as with a Character or Disaster. You get 1 Attack per turn. If you stop Attacking, even to defend yourself against a Disaster, the Location's "Health" is restored to full.
If a Location lists Attack, each Character takes that amount of damage each turn it is there. If Characters are in Combat with a Disaster there, they take that much damage each round of Combat, in addition to what the Disaster dishes out.
Disasters do not take damage from Attack Locations.
If a Location has a Planet or Dimensional symbol on it, you can cross over that Location during Movement but you may not stop on it unless you have Equipment, an Item, or a Character with the corresponding symbol. If it is a Character, only that Character can go. Items or Equipment can carry multiple Characters. Be sure to check the card to see if it has a limitation.
Some Locations can be turned into Havens (see Havens below).
If a Location is destroyed, turn it over. It counts for Movement but no one can stop there. This rule does apply to Disasters.
Special Location cards. Place Havens adjacent to any Location. Your Characters can access the Haven from that Location with normal Movement. Other Characters and Disasters cannot enter your Haven without your permission.
You may Equip from the Location adjacent to a Haven without using Movement. You may also store Items and Equipment there.
To add a Haven, 3 Characters must remain at a Location 2 turns doing nothing except "building" access to the Haven. You may then place the Haven adjacent to the Location during the next Equip phase.
Certain Locations can become Havens, if you can collect the proper Characters and Items. Necessary procedures are explained on the cards. Once a Location becomes a Haven, Characters owned by other players and Disasters must count that Location in their Movement but can-not stop on it unless given permission by the owner.
are purple and are distinguished by Names, Skills and Ability levels.
Each Character also has its own special talents, listed in the text box at the bottom of the card, and a Sex, indicated by an icon in the lower right-hand corner.
Some Characters can transform. They will-have an inset picture of their alternate form and 2 sets of Abilities. The left set is for the primary form on the card, the second set is for the alternate form. There are 2 cards for each transforming Character, one for each form. If you have cards for both of the Character's forms, you may transform from one to another during the Movement phase by sacrificing your move. If you are forced to transform (by a Disaster, Item or Power card), and you don't have the alternate card, you use the alternate form's Ability scores and the gender, but lose all the Character's skills.
More in depth, abilities are:
The basic amount of damage the Character can do each Combat Attack.
The basic amount of damage a Character can take per Combat Attack before its Health is affected. At the beginning of Combat, Health is equal to Defense.
The number of Locations the Character can move each turn.
Are you too sexy for your shirt? The Character's coolness rating.
The Character's ability to use physical and/or mystical forces.
Skills & Ability levels on Disaster, Power and Combat cards are indicated the same way as on Character cards.
Other distinguishing features of the various types of cards are Frame Color, insignia in the top left corner and highlighting on the back of each card.
These orange-framed cards have a sphere in the upper left corner bearing their insignia, which is "D" for Minor Disasters and "D!" for Major Disasters. They may have Damage, Defense, Movement and/or Charm, but do not have Skills…yet.
The point. Valuable for abilities they bestow. Plus, at the end of the game, whoever has the most, well…wins.
These cards have a red frame and red highlighting on the back. They contain two effects each, a physical effect and a Charm effect.
There are 4 kinds.
Orange - wrench insignia. Play at Equip phase only. Affects 1 Character. Equipment can be transferred from one Character to another. It is not automatically discarded with a Character is Bonked or Killed (see Combat).
If Equipment has a "+" before an Ability level, it adds that amount to the Character's own Ability level. If there is no "+", the Equipment's Ability level replaces the Character's.
If a Character has multiple pieces of Equipment, only the one with the highest bonus can be used.
Blue - chevron insignia. Play at Equip phase only. Affects 1 Character. Enhancements cannot be transferred from one Character to another. They are discarded when a Character is Bonked or Killed.
Blue - sunburst insignia. Play at Equip phase only. Affects all of YOUR Characters. If no duration is stated on card, stays in play removed or end of game.
Blue - lightning bolt insignia. Play at any time. Discard immediately. If the Flash Effect has an Energy score in the upper right corner of the text, that is the amount of energy the Character needs to expend to get the Flash Effect to work. Energy costs are cumulative in a single turn or Combat.
Note: Any card you need to "activate" can only be used once per turn.
This is actually out favorite version of the game. You do have to be careful as cards from different decks will tend to get mixed up. Card sleeves are highly recommended.
Players take turns laying Items, Disasters and Locations in a grid pattern, placing each Location adjacent to any Location already laid down. Each player should lay their Locations facing them to minimize confusion as to to whose cards are whose. If you have a Haven to lay down, don't put Disasters or Items under it. You may start with 1 Haven and we recommend you place it on the outer edge of the Field.
Characters can move from a Locations vertically, horizontally and diagonally to any adjacent Location. A drawn Disaster enters at the upper right corner of the player who drew it. It moves down that column of cards to the bottom and then over to the top card of the next column to the left. Think of it as the way Japanese read. When the Disaster leaves the field, it will leave on the lower left corner of the player who drew the Disaster. If it is a Major Disaster, it return to its original entry Location and continues Movement. This end up being very interesting because you get Disasters crossing all over the field.
With this layout, Characters may not even Move over Locations with a Planetary or Dimensional symbol without the proper access (see Locations in the Cards Ssection). There is plenty of room to go around. Again, Disasters are not affected by this. Thought you could get away from them, didn't you?
You may only Equip from a Haven in this variation.
To add Havens beyond your 1st, you must "build" them (see Havens in the Cards section) We recommend you place them on the outer edge of the Field so other players don't try to move over them.
1-2 players. Good for frequent flyers.
Make 5 piles consisting of 4 Characters, 10 Items, 10 Combat, 20 Disasters, and 20 Powers. No more than 2 of any card and 1 of any Character. Half the Disasters must be Combat Disasters, but not necessarily Major Disasters.
Draw 5 power cards.
Flip & Equip up to 1 Character per turn.
Play 2 Disasters on your opponent's Characters per turn, 1 at a time.
If your opponent gets past both Disasters, he gets one of your Items.
Whoever has the most Items after all Disasters have been played is the winner. If you run out of Characters, you lose.
MEGATOKYO: 2030 A.D.
Like a Phoenix, the city of Mega Tokyo is rising from the ashes of a devastating earthquake. In the twisted canyons of the megalopolis, the Knight Sabers, a small band of high-tech mercenaries, fight a lonely battle against the evil Genom Corporation and its sinister android "Boomers."
Like a dream from a time faraway, a sweet memory lingers from the past. Like a kingdom that you reach, after many years of dreaming. El-Hazard is the eternal homeland, and the land of never-ending adventures. As long as there is a challenging spirit, and &a readiness to fly into infinity, The gate to El-Hazard shall be opened for you across millions of nights.
The storyteller's drum never stops beating, it just swings in a different coda. Come, and let your mind draw you with young rivals Makoto and Jinnai to a far off world - - the magnificent world of El-Hazard! The award-winning artists of Tenchi Muyo! Ryo Ohki create a world bizarre and familiar as you've ever dared visit. Inhabit the darkly fabulous city of Roshtaria, meet the enchanting and deadly priestesses of Mount Muldoon, experience the desperate struggle for the "Eye Of God" between El-Hazard's human inhabitants and the relentless insectoid Bugrom, explore new vistas of fashion sense. Come and see how childhood games, like fairy tales, become stranger, funnier and sometimes deadlier when they become real.
It's not easy being a teen aged martial artist named Ranma Saotome, but it's even worse when your martial artist father Genma takes you from home at an early age to go on a decade-long training mission. He doesn't speak a word of Chinese, and yet he insists on bringing you to the cursed training ground known as Jusenkyo, where falling into one of many springs instantly turns you into whoever -- or whatever -- drowned there last. And the two of you have this little accident…
From now on, a splash of cold water will turn your father into a giant panda, while you…well you turn into a red-haired (and incredibly well-built) female version of yourself. Hot water will reverse the effect, but only until the next time. What's a half-guy, half-girl to do?
Tenchi was just an average, Japanese teen-ager weaned on his grandfather's tales of monsters and demons haunting the nearby ancient shrine. Until the day those legends came to life and catapulted him into the middle of a war beyond the stars, where he discovered the secret of his own heritage and a power within himself he'd never suspected.
Fall in love like millions of fans in Japan and the US: with the serious young Tenchi who comes to understand his true power; Ryoko, the interstellar version of the Thief of Baghdad; Ayeka and Sasami, regal princesses of the pastoral paradise of Jurai; Mihoshi, a Galaxy Police woman with a couple of bullets missing from the old brain-handgun; Professor Washu, the 20,000 year-old scientist who's brilliant and a little mad, but awful cute; and of course, Ryo-ohki, who may look like just a funny little bunny…but never get her mad.
Bubblegum Crisis copyright Artmic, Inc. and Youmex, Inc. 1987-1990, all right reserved. English subtitled/dubbed versions, copyright AnimEigo, Inc. 1991-1995, all rights reserved.
El hazard: The Magnificent World © 1995 AIC • Pioneer LDC, Inc.
Ranma 1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi Shogakukam Inc./Kitty/Fuji TV, exclusively licensed throughout the United States and Canada by Viz Communications Inc. all rights reserved.
Tenchi Muyo! © AIC • Pioneer LDC, Inc.
Created by AnimeCafe, Inc. (The twisted minds at AC are Jon "who needs sleep?" Healy, Keith "What do you mean its not done yet?!?" Pinster & Josh "I have way too much Anime." Ritter.)
Produced by Tod Harrick for PAnime
Art Direction by Jon Healy
Package Design by Jeff 'Biff" Butler & John Chambers of Mild Meld, Inc. (Costa Mesa, CA)
Manufactured by The Upper Deck Co. (Carlsbad, CA)
AnimeCafe would like to thank the following people for their kind and considerate help in design, construction & play testing of Ani-Mayhem: Scott "Is my computer working yet" Mackenzie, Jody "does size really matter" Larson, Elizabeth "You need this written when"? Pitts, John "It's not a pillow, but…" Cornelius, Kyle "What! It's not SCSI!?" Marshall, Diedre "Don't you guys use spell checkers?" Norris, Allan Paez, Kurt "My Computer's too darn slow" Roesener, Lee Monson, James "My Brain isn't working again" Dodd, Stephanie Piper, John Dupre, Joel Wiggington, Marshall Montgomery, Jared "Just one more game" Ritter, Justin "I've already seen this one" Ritter. Alys Montgomery for pointing out a few "things", Rick Alonzo of Anime Wink, Enrique Galvez of Bonzai Comics, and Tom Clancy because if we hadn't written it down, it never would have happened.
Tod wants to thank: At Pioneer: Naoju Nakamura and Jim McGowan for not saying "that's just stupid;" Ann Mosher for saying "that's just stupid;" Elizabeth Cullen for effort and expertise above and beyond the call, and the 13th hour and Yuji Moriya and Hiro Tsukamoto for being part of the best animation division around. At Upper Deck: Ernie Chapa & John Faries for delivering on time against all odds. Kumi Hufferd at Viz and Robert Woodhead at AnimEigo for recognizing a good thing for Anime. Joanne White for explaining how the world works. Matt Killiken for using the word set-up?! with just the proper emphasis. Pamela and Kevin Mosby at War Games West for early confidence & endless advice. Lee Suny at GAMA for charts & graphs. For setting up invaluable PLAYTESTING: John Schroeder at The Magic Source and Gary Mays at Hobbytown U.S.A. And most importantly, to you, the person that bought the thing. L'chayim.
Look for exciting future expansions of Ani-Mayhem beginning November, 1996.
If you have questions about Ani-Mayhem, or suggestions, especially of Anime
series you'd like to see featured in upcoming expansions, please write us at:
Ani-Mayhem
c/o Pioneer Entertainment USA (L.P.)
Animation Division
2265 E. 220th Street
Long Beach, CA 90810.
e-mail: PAnime@primenet.com
Pioneer and AnimeCafe would like to extend the deepest thanks to AnimEigo, Inc. and Viz Communications, Inc. for allowing us to make the incredible worlds of "Bubblegum Crisis" and "Ranma 1/2" part of the Ani-Mayhem Universe.
To experience more of these and other exciting worlds of Japanese Animation, check your local retailer for videos from AnimEigo, PAnime and Viz Video on VHS and Laserdisc.
Ani-Mayhem™ and ©1995 Pioneer Entertainment (USA) L.P.